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According to reports, J.J. Abrams is directing Star Wars Episode VII. Yup, the Star Trek director is heading to a galaxy far, far away. We'll leave the debating over whether this is a good choice up to you. But for collectors, it looks as though autograph cards (yes, there's more than one) of the well-respected filmmaker could be headed for new heights.

Besides rebooting the Star Trek franchise, Abrams and his company, Bad Robot, have been responsible for TV shows LOST, Fringe and Alias, all three of which have had popular trading card series. He has also directed Mission Impossible III and Super 8.

Collectors have a pair of J.J. Abrams autograph cards to look for. His signature in 2009 Rittenhouse Star Trek Movie (based on the reboot) is one of the set's rarest. As a result, it has been trading for $150 to $300 since its release. Star Trek card collectors are very passionate and set collectors helped drive sales. Plus, the film was a huge hit. The combination of time and rarity have made this card tough to find today as many now reside in personal collections.

Easier to find is the first J.J. Abrams autograph card, which can be found in 2002 Inkworks Alias Season 1. Just a few years ago, this card could be found for under $30. But Abrams' rise in popularity has caused prices to climb steadily. Now, they're approaching $100. And that was before he was confirmed to be working on Star Wars Episode VII.

While there was little doubt before, J.J. Abrams is one of the, if not the, most high-profile filmmakers in Hollywood in a long time. The connections to Steven Spielberg should be even closer now.

Collectors who love Abrams' work may want to jump in while they still can as far as his autograph cards go. He's connected to the two biggest science fiction franchises of all-time. Both also have the most passionate followings in entertainment cards. There's only one direction his cards will likely go, and that's to the stars.

Ryan Cracknell | E-Mail | URLRyan is a former member of The Cardboard Connection Writing Staff.
His collecting origins began with winter bike rides to the corner store, tossing a couple of quarters onto the counter and peddling home with a couple packs of O-Pee-Chee hockey in his pocket. Today, he continues to build sets, go after inserts with cool technologies, chase Montreal Expos and finish off his John Jaha master collection and can be found onGoogle+.